Angel in Black

Max Allan Collins is as good as it gets when it comes to mysteries, and especially in his chosen genre -- true crime solved by his own fictional detective, Nathan Heller -- Collins is unbeatable. ANGEL IN BLACK is a haunting rendition of the Black Dahlia murder in L.A. -- a story I didn't know when I began reading the book. As usual, his research is impeccable (I've since done my own research on this) and his rendering of the people involved brings you straight into the heart of the story. His solution may not be correct, but it is compelling (and no one really knows, either -- the Black Dahlia murder remains officially unsolved). And like his other brilliant Heller stories -- STOLEN AWAY (the Lindbergh kidnapping), FLYING BLIND (Amelia Earhart disappearance), MAJIC MAN (Roswell, New Mexico UFO incident) ... you believe it and cannot help but be drawn in further. Don't miss this; it has its gruesome moments (which I know will automatically recommend it to some people) but it also has some marvelous characters and surprising relevations. Heller solves this one the way he does all his investigating -- he's tough, sexy and can't help but get involved. This one is a five-star winner.

Max Allan Collins is a sort of a Renaissance Man. He's an independent film-maker, scripted the Dick Tracy comics series for 16 years, and writes mystery novels (ten Shamus nominations, won twice). You wonder how he has time to breathe and eat, let alone make a life with a wife and son. Of these accomplishments, the mystery novel series is perhaps the best known. A dozen of the books are private eye novels with a main character who's a sort of guide to the crime world of the late 20's to the late 50's. This character is Nathan Heller, the half-Irish half-Jewish ex-cop who is friends with Capone, traded shots with Dillinger, and searched for Amelia Earhart and the Lindbergh baby. You have to be willing to accept that one person would be involved in this many different famous crimes of the century, but once you make this leap of faith, the books are wonderful evocations of life in the first half of the century, replete with characters and scenes that stay with you. The solutions to the real-life mysteries are well-researched and believable, and often the author has done original work that leads non-fiction writers to new sources and accounts of the crime in question.The crime in question is the Black Dahlia murder case, in which an aspiring actress was tortured and murdered, the body being cut in half at the waist after death. Collins has to hook Heller in somehow, and as is often the case, his libido gets him involved: he had a short affair with the victim, Elizabeth Short. Coincidentally, Heller is in Los Angeles, and happens to be there when the body's discovered, and recognizes his former lover. Soon he's working for a local paper, doing background, and unofficially looking to find the killer himself. Admittedly, this beginning is a bit of a stretch, but if you read the series, you're used to this sort of thing and accept it. If you're not, just go with it, it's worth it.Heller has an interesting problem, which is two-fold. First, he has the problem that if the L.A. cops figure out that he was having an affair with the victim, he might wind up a suspect, especially as he's in L.A. with his new wife, who wouldn't be amused by an old girlfriend. Second, and perhaps worse, he's the only cop on the case who thinks this killing might be something other than a bizarre sex-crime. The plot zips right along, with Heller crossing paths with Orson Wells, Mickey Cohen, and other famous figures from L.A. history, entertainment, press, and politics. There's even a cameo with Heller's old friends Barney Ross and Eliot Ness. The solution is something of a surprise, possible but a bit of a stretch, but fun none the less. I would highly recommend this book, with the caveat that if you haven't read the author's earlier book Butcher's Dozen, you're going to be a bit taken aback when the twist comes. I know I was, even though I'd read the previous book.

It's 1947 and Chicago private detective, Nate Heller, is in Los Angeles for two very good reasons...he's honeymooning with his new wife, the lovely Peggy, and he's opening a branch office of his A-1 Detective Agency. All is going perfectly until, while riding with a reporter friend from the Herald Examiner, they happen upon an incredibly grisly crime scene, a once beautiful young woman tortured, mutilated, murdered and left, cut in half, in a vacant lot. Heller is shocked when he realizes he knew the woman. Her name was Elizabeth Short and he had had a brief affair with her a couple of months ago while he and Peggy were on the outs. To make matters worse, she had called him, just the night before, claiming she was pregnant from their little fling and needed money. Afraid that he'll be at the top of the cops' suspect list if they find his connection to the murdered girl, Nate gets himself hired by the Examiner to investigate the crime for the paper and try to stay at least one step ahead of the police..... Max Allan Collins has blended fiction and fact and come up with a well researched, clever and entertaining historical mystery/thriller, based on the infamous and unsolved Black Dahlia murder. His well paced, intricate plot is compelling and his scenes are vivid and riveting. But it's Mr Collin's crisp, spare and often irreverent writing and superb dialogue that really makes this book stand out. This is a story that transports you back to Hollywood in the forties, full of mobsters, movie stars, flamboyant women and tough talking, cigarette smoking, hard drinking guys with big hearts. Angel in Black is an intense read and a novel that should be on every mystery/thriller fan's "not to be missed" list!

I have long been a fan of Max Collins' writing, and the Nathan Heller books in particular. Angel In Black is completely absorbing, and the period details are remarkable. It is quite a bit more explicit, both in sex and gore, than the previous books. Some of the details and plot points are not for the squeamish. The plot is clever and absorbing, and Heller's wise-guy persona remians intact. If you like a good mystery, especially historical fiction, don't miss it.

In January 1947, Nate Heller is in Los Angles combining business with pleasure. He is there opening the West Coast office of his Chicago-based A-1 Detective Agency with new partner Fred Rubinksi. Nate is also on his honeymoon with his wife of one-month Peggy. However, Nate accompanied by reporter Bill Fowley come across a brutalized body of a beautiful young woman. Nate says nothing to Bill or the police when they arrive, but he recognizes the victim as his former Chicago girl friend Elizabeth "Beth" Short, who just called him a few days ago to tell him she was probably pregnant. She asked to see him, but Nate fearing for his marriage, never met Beth. Now, feeling a bit guilty and worrying about a murder sentence, Nate quietly investigates the killing of the "Black Dahlia" that rocks more than just Hollywood. The Nate Heller historical mysteries are some of the best novels the sub-genre has to offer. The latest tale, ANGEL IN BLACK, is a fascinating recounting of the infamous Black Dahlia murder case as only Max Allan Collins could tell it. Nate retains his self-deprecating humor that makes him seem so real. However, this mystery as well as the previous ten stories in this series belongs to a bygone era that seems in many ways so ancient (sorry boomers, but we are an aging workforce), but comes so vividly alive at the hands of a master craftsman.Harriet Klausner